Hosting & Infra
AWS Lambda vs Cloudinary: Pricing Comparison 2026
Side-by-side pricing comparison of AWS Lambda and Cloudinary. See all plans, features, and costs at a glance.
Bottom line: AWS Lambda starts at $2.1e-9/mo, making it $99/mo cheaper than Cloudinary ($99/mo). Cloudinary offers a free plan.
Last updated: March 16, 2026
Data compiled by Arthur Jacquemin
Updated March 16, 2026
AWS Lambda vs Cloudinary: Quick Pricing Facts
| Feature | AWS Lambda | Cloudinary |
|---|---|---|
| Starting Price | $2.1e-9/mo | $99/mo |
| Number of Plans | 50 | 4 |
| Free Tier | No | Yes |
| Pricing Model | usage-based | freemium |
| Annual Discount | N/A | N/A |
AWS Lambda is the more affordable option, starting at $2.1e-9/mo compared to Cloudinary's $99/mo. Both are Hosting & Infra tools with 54 combined pricing plans and 48 features compared.
Cloudinary stands out with a free plan for getting started. AWS Lambda uses usage-based pricing while Cloudinary uses freemium pricing, which may affect your total cost at scale.
Review the detailed tier-by-tier comparison above to see exactly which features are included at each price point and find the best fit for your Hosting & Infra needs.
| Pricing Plans |  AWS Lambda Try it free |  Cloudinary Try it free |
|---|---|---|
| Tier 1 | x86 Price Custom pricing | FreePopular $0/monthCheapest Includes
|
| Tier 2 | First 6 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | PlusPopular $99/month Includes
|
| Tier 3 | Next 9 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | AdvancedPopular $249/month Includes
|
| Tier 4 | Over 15 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | EnterprisePopular Custom pricing Includes
|
| Tier 5 | Arm Price Custom pricing | — |
| Tier 6 | First 7.5 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 7 | Next 11.25 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 8 | Over 18.75 Billion GB-seconds / month $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 9 | 128 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 10 | 512 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 11 | 1024 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 12 | 1536 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 13 | 2048 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 14 | 3072 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 15 | 4096 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 16 | 5120 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 17 | 6144 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 18 | 7168 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 19 | 8192 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 20 | 9216 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 21 | 10240 $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 22 | Durable Operations Custom pricing | — |
| Tier 23 | Operations such as Steps, Waits, and Callbacks $8/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 24 | Storage Custom pricing | — |
| Tier 25 | Data Written $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 26 | Data Retained $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 27 | Total compute (seconds) $1000000/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 28 | Total compute (GB-s) $32000000/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 29 | Billable compute $32000000/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 30 | Compute cost $31600000/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 31 | Total requests Custom pricing | — |
| Tier 32 | Billable requests $2000000/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 33 | Request cost $1/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 34 | Operations $1/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 35 | Operations cost $4/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 36 | Data written cost $104/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 37 | Storage (running incl. 7 day wait) $104/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 38 | Storage (retained 14 days) $104/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 39 | Data Retained cost $24/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 40 | Total charges $421/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 41 | Tenant isolated enviroments (x86) $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 42 | Tenant isolated enviroments (ARM) $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 43 | Ephemeral Storage $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 44 | Cache $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 45 | Restore $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 46 | Processed Bytes $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 47 | SQS $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 48 | MSK or Self-Managed Kafka $0/monthCheapest | — |
| Tier 49 | Requests Custom pricing | — |
| Tier 50 | Duration $0/monthCheapest | — |
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Our Pick
Cloudinary
Cloudinary offers a free plan.
Based on pricing data only. Review the full comparison below for your specific needs.
Best value: Cloudinary
Try Cloudinary freeWhich Should You Choose?
Choose AWS Lambda if:
- •You want lower per-user costs—AWS Lambda starts at $2.1e-9/mo, saving $98.9999999979/mo compared to Cloudinary at $99/mo
- •You need 50 pricing tiers for flexible team sizing—more options mean less overpaying for features you don't need
- •You prefer AWS Lambda's usage-based model with its 50-tier structure
Choose Cloudinary if:
- •You need a free plan with Upload widget, API, and search, Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking—Cloudinary offers no-cost access with no credit card required
- •You want more features built-in—Cloudinary offers 48 additional features across its plans
- •Cloudinary's 4-tier freemium structure gives clearer cost visibility for budget planning
Cloudinary offers a free plan [1], eliminating the cost barrier for evaluation, while AWS Lambda requires paid subscription from the start. This gives Cloudinary a significant advantage for teams with budget constraints or extended trial periods. Once you outgrow Cloudinary's free tier, upgrading to a paid plan at approximately Free provides substantial additional functionality. Compare this pricing path against AWS Lambda's tiering starting at $2.1e-9/mo to assess total cost of ownership over 12 months. Cloudinary's 4 tiers provide flexibility at different budgets, while AWS Lambda's 50 tiers structure may force you into higher-cost plans than necessary for your use case. If evaluation cost matters to your decision, Cloudinary is the obvious starting point with zero financial commitment. Use the free tier to validate core functionality before committing to paid plans from either tool.
Frequently Asked Questions: AWS Lambda vs Cloudinary
Which is cheaper, AWS Lambda or Cloudinary?
As of March 2026, AWS Lambda starts at a lower price point. AWS Lambda starts at $2.1e-9/mo while Cloudinary starts at $99/mo. However, the best value depends on the features you need at each tier.
How many pricing plans does AWS Lambda have vs Cloudinary?
AWS Lambda offers 50 pricing plans, while Cloudinary offers 4 plans. More plans typically means more flexibility to match your exact needs and budget.
Does AWS Lambda or Cloudinary offer a free plan?
Cloudinary offers a free plan, while AWS Lambda does not. If budget is a concern, Cloudinary lets you get started at no cost.
What is the most popular Cloudinary plan?
The Free plan is Cloudinary's most popular tier, priced at Free. Key features include Upload widget, API, and search, Remote fetch, auto-backup, and revision tracking, Image and video transformations.
Does AWS Lambda or Cloudinary offer custom enterprise pricing?
Yes, both AWS Lambda and Cloudinary offer custom enterprise pricing tiers with quote-based pricing. Contact each vendor for a tailored quote.
What pricing models do AWS Lambda and Cloudinary use?
AWS Lambda uses a usage-based pricing model, while Cloudinary uses freemium pricing. The right model depends on your team size and usage patterns.
How do AWS Lambda and Cloudinary compare for Hosting & Infra?
Both AWS Lambda and Cloudinary are Hosting & Infra tools. AWS Lambda offers 50 plans starting at $2.1e-9/mo, while Cloudinary offers 4 plans starting at $99/mo. Review the feature breakdowns above to see which better fits your Hosting & Infra needs.
Sources
- AWS Lambda Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
- Cloudinary Official Pricing— Vendor pricing page
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